Dagmar Epsten


Lecturer



Education

Master of Architecture Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia, USA, June 1984 Diplom-Ingenieur, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Karlsruhe, Germany, March 1984

Keywords

Sustainability, Regenerative Design, High-Performance, Net Zero, EcoDistricts, LEED, WELL, Living Building Challenge, Ecosystem Services, Energy, Daylighting, Green, Equity, Resilience, Climate Protection, Carbon Neutrality

Biography

Dagmar B. Epsten, FAIA, LEED Fellow, CxA, is the founder and President/CEO of Epsten Group, an Atlanta-based architectural and engineering firm providing services for high-performance buildings since 1991. As the first LEED Fellow in Georgia, Ms. Epsten is an internationally recognized pioneer in sustainable design and services that optimize building performance. She obtained a Master in Architecture degree from Georgia Tech and an undergraduate degree in architecture from Karlsruhe University, Germany. For 25 years, her firm’s focus on comprehensive, high-performance design solutions involves architectural and interior design services combined with commissioning, sustainability consulting, energy modeling and optimization, building and product certifications, building envelope consulting, commissioning, and facility assessments, roofing and waterproofing, and energy auditing expertise.

Dagmar became an early spokesperson for sustainable architecture in Georgia, founding the American Institute of Architects (AIA) both Atlanta and Georgia “Committees on the Environment” as well as the AIA Georgia Sustainable Design Awards program. She is a founding member of the U.S. Green Building Council’s Greater Atlanta Chapter and served as a board member for three years for the Green Chamber of the South.

Dagmar was the LEED consultant for the first LEED-certified building in Atlanta, achieving LEED Silver for the Management Building for Georgia Tech’s Technology. Dagmar also serves on Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture Advisory Board and has recently endowed the annual Epsten Environmental Vision Award.

Articles:

  • LEED Design Standards Lead to Wildlife-Friendly Buildings, The Campus Wild, National Wildlife Federation, 2015
  • Keeping the edge in Atlanta: Double LEED platinum and v4 for Epsten Group’s HQ, USGBC Blog, 2015
  • German Innovation for High Performance Buildings, Parts I & II, edc Magazine, 2014
  • Creating Value for LEED Projects LEED with LEAN, Parts I & II, edc Magazine, 2013 Interviewee:
  • USGBC+, local pulse - Q&A with Dagmar Epsten, July-August 2016
  • Design Intelligence, Global Reach for the Mid-Sized Firm: An Interview with Dagmar Epsten; interviewed by Bob Fisher, Principal / Editor in Chief, DesignIntelligence (including the Design Futures Council), September/October 2015

Presenter:

  • VERGE 2015, “Product Transparency-Supply Chain Exposed!”, San Jose, CA
  • AIA National Convention 2015, "Making an Impact: Turning Existing Buildings into Net-Zero Wonders", Atlanta, GA
  • AIA National Convention 2015, "The Great Architectural/Operational Match-Up: LEED NC/EBOM Platinum", Atlanta, GA
  • Saudi Green Building Forum, Maximizing LEED Results for any Project with Case Studies, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, 2012

ARCH 4801/8801: High-Performance Buildings, and Related Processes and Certifications